Container closure

ABSTRACT

A traveler&#39;&#39;s nonspillable, reuseable drinking cup for use of drivers and passengers in automobiles, boats, trains and airplanes, to dispense liquid only when held in the hand and pressed slightly on any part of the top to actuate normally closed sealing valves in the closure for the cup.

United States Patent Fitzgerald Jan. 18, 1972 [54] CONTAINER CLOSURE Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-John P. Shannon, Jr. [72] lnventor: Leonard C. Fitzgerald, Fairfax, Calif. Attomey ()stm1enk Faber, Gel-b & s ff 73 Assi nee: Nos ilLimited Los An eles, Calif. I l g p g 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Jan. 5, 1970 A travelers nonsplllable, reuseable drinking cup for use of PP 631 drivers and passengers in automobiles, boars, trains and airplanes, to dispense liquid only when held in the hand and 52 use: ..222/4s4 g slightly 'f a: 2 many 511 Int. Cl ..B67d 3/00 Sea Va e 58 Field of Search ..222/481, 484, 547, 559 6 Chin, 6 Draw. sum [56] References Cited i UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,494,043 5/1924 Vogt ..222/484 34\ T l f a r X J 1 1 1 l 4 2a 17 20 5 l 24 19 .18 I5 5 F l---- '41 I i 3o l I CONTAINER cwsunn REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is related to copending application Ser. No. 840,377, filed July 9, I969 (Group 0318).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to container closures, and is particularly directed to a valved closure lid for drinking cups and the like.

Heretofore, there have been numerous situations in which drinking from a cup, glass, or similar container has been impractical because of upsetting the same and/or spilling the contents. When traveling for example, liquid drink often is carried in a closed container or the like, and is poured therefrom into a cup for drinking. For. the driver of an automobile such procedure necessitates stoppingbefore drinking. Obviously, numerous other. situations existwherein the use of a conventional cup for drinking is not practical.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of this invention is to provide a closure cover for a drinking receptacle having a plurality of valve closed air intake and fluid discharge openings actuable by pressure on the cover to open the normally yielding closed valves.

A further object is provide a positive seal for both of the closure valves that prevents spillage of any liquid as when stowed in a vehicle in any position.

Still another object is to arrange the lid so that slight pressure on either side of the cover by the fingertips will actuate the valves,-allowing liquid to flow through one opening into a mouthpiece when tilted with the other opening above the mouth.

A further object is to render the top center portion of the cover less sensitive to opening the valves soas to provide a protective device against spilling if dropped and the center higher part of the lid is engaged.

. And a further object is to provide a pressure release valve system to rid the container of excessive pressure created by extremely hot drinks.

It is also an object to provide a pressure relief valve taking the form of a slit disc over the air vent aperture so that when the liquid is too hot to drink the pressure builds up inside and steam escapes through the small slit, which at other times is a seal, in the ribber diaphragm valve, this serving as a .waming for user to cool liquid down a few degrees before drinking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a plan view showing the arrangement of the-drinking and vent openings with the center depressing area in the lid, incorporating the features of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an. enlarged sectional view on the line 22 of FIG. ll, showing the valvesclosed, and an auxiliary mouth piece and tube.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional viewshowing the valves open with the center of the lid depressed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a modification with offset side valve depressing area.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 55 of FIG. 4, with the side depressed valves open.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3, showing the slit steam escape valve arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As an example of one embodiment of this invention,.there is shown a drinking cup 10 having a bottom 11 and sides 12 which may be of suitable insulative plastic material 13. The cup is provided with an appropriatedemountable fastening means such as the threads 14 arranged to engage mating threads 15 formed in the rim 16 of the lid or'closure cover 17 which seal s tightly against the top lip surface 18 of the cup 10.

thereto is provided a drain or drinking opening bushing 20.

The inner end of each of the bushings I9 and 20 are respectively provided with valve seats 21 and 22. The central portion of the lid 23 is provided with an inwardly projecting support sleeve 24 arranged to receive and holdthe support lug 25 formed on the middle portion of the valve operating lever 26.

One end 27 of the valve operating lever 26 is provided with an upwardly facing sealing disc 28 arranged to normally engage the valve seat 22 to shut off the drainage bushing 20. The other end 29 of the operating lever 26 has a perforation 30 above which is located an upwardly sealing washer 3] arranged to normally engage the valve seat 2! of the ventbush- FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the seats 21 and 22 are engaged by washer 31 and disc 28, sealing off bushings I9 and 20. When finger pressure 33 is exerted on the top of the cover over the support sleeve 24, the lever 26 will be moved down to release the disc 28 and washer from the respective valve seats 21 and 22' when the cup is tipped up for drinking, liquid draining out through bishing 20 and air coming in through bushing 19. An appropriate drinking mouthpiece 34 and air vent hose 35 may be applied to the bushing 20 and bushing 19. The hose 35 may be used as a drinking tube and the other opening as the vent if desired.

In certain instances, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it is found to be advantageous to apply slight finger pressure to one side of the top center of the cover to control the valves 21-31 and 22-28. To this end the support sleeve 24 may be offset to one side of a line 36 interconnecting the sleeves l9 and 20 so that finger pressure 33 at point 37 may readily control the valves.

1 claim:

l. A closure for a drinking cup comprising:

a cover demountably secured to the drinking cup,

a vent opening bushing in the cover,

a drain opening bushing in the cover diametrically spaced from the vent opening bushing,

valve seats on the inner ends of the vent and drain opening bushings,

a valve operating lever secured to the inside of the cover,

and seals on the lever normally engaging and closing against the valve seats;

said valve operating lever being secured to the inside of the cover such that finger pressure applied to the outside surface of the cover releases the seals from the valve seats to regulate the flow through the vent and drain bushings.

2. A closure for a drinking cup comprising:

a cover demountably secured to the drinking cup,

a vent opening bushing in the cover,

a drain opening bushing in the cover diametrically spaced from the vent opening bushing,

valve seats on the inner ends of the vent and drain opening bushings,

a valve operating lever secured to the inside of the cover,

and seals on the lever normally engaging and closing against the valve seats;

said valve operating lever secured to the inside of the cover at a position offset from a line of diametric arrangement of the position of the vent and drain opening bushings so that the valves may be manipulated and controlled when the cup is held up in tipped drinking position.

3. A closure for a drinking cup comprising, in combination: first and second cover member sections and means for connecting said first and second cover member sections to one another at adjacent surface regions thereof; said first cover member section extending over the fullopen surface defined by the rim of said drinking cup, and including peripheral means for securing said closure to the rim of said drinking cup; said first cover member section having sealable opening means therethrough, through which li'q'uid may pass when drinking from said cup without removing said closure; said second cover member section being secured to and supported from the surface of said first cover member section which faces the interior of said drinking cup, by said means for connecting said cover member sections, and being normally pressed into sealing engagement across said scalable opening means, thereby nonnally to close said opening means; said second cover member section being deflectable from said position of sealing engagement to expose the interior of said drinking cup through said opening means.

4. The closure of claim 3 wherein said means for connecting said first and second cover member sections includes a demountable fastening means.

5. A closure for a drinking cup comprising:

a cover demountably secured to the drinking cup; said cover having at least one resiliently deformable region;

a vent opening in the cover;

a drain opening in the cover spaced from the vent opening;

first and second valve seat regions surrounding the interior peripheries of said vent and drain openings;

a valve operating lever secured to said deformable region on said cover;

and first and second spaced seals on said lever normally engaging and closing against said first and second valve seat regions respectively; deformation of said deformable region of said cover moving said valve operating lever and both said seals to an open position with respect to both of said valve seat regions.

6. The closure of claim 5 wherein the interior of said cover and wherein said valve operating lever include cooperating snap connection means for connecting said valve operating lever to the interior surface of said closure.

* i i t i 

1. A closure for a drinking cup comprising: a cover demountably secured to the drinking cup, a vent opening bushing in the cover, a drain opening bushing in the cover diametrically spaced from the vent opening bushing, valve seats on the inner ends of the vent and drain opening bushings, a valve operating lever secured to the inside of the cover, and seals on the lever normally engaging and closing against the valve seats; said valve operating lever being secured to the inside of the cover such that finger pressure applied to the outside surface of the cover releases the seals from the valve seats to regulate the flow through the vent and drain bushings.
 2. A closure for a drinking cup comprising: a cover demountably secured to the drinking cup, a vent opening bushing in the cover, a drain opening bushing in the cover diametrically spaced from the vent opening bushing, valve seats on the inner ends of the vent and drain opening bushings, a valve operating lever secured to the inside of the cover, and seals on the lever normally engaging and closing against the valve seats; said valve operating lever secured to the inside of the cover at a position offset from a line of diametric arrangement of the position of the vent and drain opening bushings so that the valves may be manipulated and controlled when the cup is held up in tipped drinking position.
 3. A closure for a drinking cup comprising, in combination: first and second cover member sections and means for connecting said first and second covEr member sections to one another at adjacent surface regions thereof; said first cover member section extending over the full open surface defined by the rim of said drinking cup, and including peripheral means for securing said closure to the rim of said drinking cup; said first cover member section having sealable opening means therethrough, through which liquid may pass when drinking from said cup without removing said closure; said second cover member section being secured to and supported from the surface of said first cover member section which faces the interior of said drinking cup, by said means for connecting said cover member sections, and being normally pressed into sealing engagement across said sealable opening means, thereby normally to close said opening means; said second cover member section being deflectable from said position of sealing engagement to expose the interior of said drinking cup through said opening means.
 4. The closure of claim 3 wherein said means for connecting said first and second cover member sections includes a demountable fastening means.
 5. A closure for a drinking cup comprising: a cover demountably secured to the drinking cup; said cover having at least one resiliently deformable region; a vent opening in the cover; a drain opening in the cover spaced from the vent opening; first and second valve seat regions surrounding the interior peripheries of said vent and drain openings; a valve operating lever secured to said deformable region on said cover; and first and second spaced seals on said lever normally engaging and closing against said first and second valve seat regions respectively; deformation of said deformable region of said cover moving said valve operating lever and both said seals to an open position with respect to both of said valve seat regions.
 6. The closure of claim 5 wherein the interior of said cover and wherein said valve operating lever include cooperating snap connection means for connecting said valve operating lever to the interior surface of said closure. 